Shaggwell, The Lizards From Mars Trio

Day Labor Blues, funkharp

Shaggwell

Chicago based band, Shaggwell, is a band comprised of Columbia College students Rudy Bless, Ben Dacoba, Corbin Howard & Mich Shirey. Their sound contains elements of Soul, Funk and R&B with influences from John Mayer Trio to Stevie Wonder, from Prince to the eclectic sound of Motown generated by The Funk Brothers. Lyrically, they delve into the ideals and battles between love and sex and everyday life that we live while trying to make sense of the world around with hints of political matter. Shaggwell is, by nature, pushing the boundaries on mixing all styles and genres of music and not being contained by any one. Shaggwell's main goal is similar to what that of the likes of D'Angelo & Raphael Saadiq are doing; creating a groove that is purely infectious and informs and inspires the lyrics in which they are sung. In the midst of all the music being put out in the world, Shaggwell stands to make their mark in an ever changing industry.

The Lizards From Mars Trio

Day Labor Blues

Formed in 2008, Day Labor Blues (originally known as the Harrison Webb Blues Thing) has quickly found a loyal and diverse following in the Philadelphia area and surrounding suburbs. The band is comprised of an eclectic group of musicians, who each have numerous years of experience in playing in and around the area and beyond.

The band's live shows are marked with a high level of energy and audience participation. Each performance is truly owned by Day Labor Blues. However, like with any great band, the actual band is a sum of its parts. That is each member brings his own unique perspective to a song cumulating in a fresh take on Blues classics. The songs are a continuous process "growing" and changing and becoming Day Labor Blues own.

funkharp

"funkharp's first concert was me on a boardwalk bench, all the instruments I could carry and an open guitar case with a sign saying 'Change'" says Joseph Randle. Founding member and songwriter for funkharp, Randle is a classic band nerd with a surprising tongue. Drifting between childlike vulgarity and ultra-literate eloquence, that "Change" sign on his guitar case was probably meant as a general statement, not a request for spare coin.
A few months back, Randle began plucking talent from the Philadelphia scene. He found the Thundercat, a grinning and excitable bass phenom whose slap n' pop style interlocks with funkharp's off-rhythm guitar licks the way a zebra's stripes fit together. Next came Mofa, a relentless drummer whose tasteful interpretations of funkharp's nuanced songs reflect his past career as a singer/songwriter. The final addition is Gene Orlando, the MacGyver. This tonehead mixes and masters all of the band's recordings in the studio, and onstage, he tackles whatever part is thrown his way, even when it means learning to play (and sometimes having to invent) yet another instrument.
Though nearly strangers at the time, the members of funkharp moved into a house together after a handful of rehearsals and only one gig together. They built their own recording studio matching the band's exact specifications (and budget) in the house, and the squeaky old conversion van they tour around in usually pulls back into the driveway in the wee small hours of the morning carrying the boys of funkharp, dazed by the rising sun and another stint on the road.